A Toronto-area man who pleaded guilty in February to the 1969 shooting of a Chicago police officer was released Thursday from Cook County Jail after serving his sentence, county officials said.
As part of a unique plea deal, Joseph Pannell, 58, pleaded guilty to aggravated battery in exchange for serving 30 days in jail and paying $250,000 to an organization that aids families of severely injured officers. The judge also sentenced him to 2 years’ probation. An attempted murder charge was dismissed.
Pannell was 19 years old when he shot former officer Terrence Knox on the South Side in the right arm.
For about three decades, Pannell raised a family and worked as a research library assistant near Toronto under the alias of Gary Freeman. Pannell was arrested in Canada in 2004.
